South Dallas megachurch Friendship-West Baptist Church moved to dismiss its case against developers who planned to build an industrial warehouse near the church after the two sides reportedly agreed to find a compromise.
The decision was revealed Thursday as a “Notice of Non-Suit Without Prejudice,” which means the church can re-file its case against developers Stonelake Capital Partners and SL6 Wheatland LP in the future.
The non-suit filing comes a week after a Dallas district court judge granted a temporary injunction that paused the construction of a warehouse, which community members said would “further historical hardship and developmental discrimination in the community.”
Now, the church and Stonelake Capital Partners plan to work together to make the lot agreeable to the community.
In a joint statement issued Friday, Pastor Frederick D. Haynes and Kenneth E. Aboussie Jr. with Stonelake Capital Partners said the application for a warehouse building permit was withdrawn.
"As leaders for our respective organizations, sharing a common Christian faith, we have kept the lines of communication open in the hopes of resolution and collaboration," Haynes and Aboussie said in the statement. "We both concluded that we could accomplish more by working together than by working in conflict with each other."
The proposed site was zoned residential until the early 2000s when it was rezoned to a planned development.
Residents of the predominantly Black and Latino community said the warehouse could bring more traffic and add to the potential for more roadway accidents, KERA News previously reported.
Carter High School is down the block from the previously planned warehouse. Residents were concerned about student safety getting to and from school or the bus stop.
The developers' attorneys claimed the city stonewalled and conspired against them during the permitting process; the city said its decisions were based on safety, KERA News previously reported.
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